Mom of the Year

Well, it is official...I deserve the "Mom of the Year" award. Here it is...I will let you decide!

On Friday, Samuel and I were at the new apartment. We were moving over the last couple of boxes before all the big furniture came on Saturday. We were done hauling and I had spent some time unpacking. I had some empty boxes that I wanted to take back to the house and thought it would be easier if I ran them down to the car then came back up to grab Samuel before we had to head out. Since he was busy watching Elmo and I would be less then a minute I figured he would be fine.

I grabbed my car keys and ran out to the car. Upon returning to the apartment, I went to open the door and "bam". It was locked. Samuel had watched me multiple times lock the dead bolt after Mike leaves, I guess he thought he had to do the same. So, here I am outside the apartment, Samuel is inside along with my keys and cell phone. What to do...option A...knock on a neighbors door to use their phone and get a hold of Mike...option B...run up to the office and see if they can get me in. I decided that since that was not the intro I wanted to the neighbors and there was no guarantee Mike would be available I took off sprinting to the office. They luckily had a key and Samuel luckily only did the bottom dead bolt. I opened the door, out of breath, panicked and Samuel was sitting ever so nicely on the couch watching Elmo. He looked at me, smiled and said "dada!"
If that wasn't enough for one week...Monday morning we went to playgroup. After group, Samuel was exhausted and I figured he would be sound asleep before we hit the end of the drive. I put him in, threw my purse in the passenger seat while I was buckling him and let him play with the car keys until we were ready. Mistake number 1...he somehow managed to hit the lock without me hearing it. When I tried to take them away he screamed and threw them. They ended up landing in the drivers seat and I figured good enough. I closed his door and went to get in...locked out again! Yet again, Samuel, my keys and cell phone all inside. I ran back in grabbed a cell phone and called 911. They ended up responding and also sending a company called Pop-a-Lock. If I were you, I would look up their number and memorize it. They are a national company that will respond to emergency situations when children are locked in cars. I guess it happens often...makes me feel a bit more normal. They were there within 10 minutes and had it unlocked within 10 more. Samuel was a bit more upset with this. He continued to look at me and gave me the cry that said, " I can see you, why don't you pick me up?" I felt awful.
Too say the least, I don't let my keys out of my sight. I know this happens to a lot of people, but I feel like the worst mother in the world. Samuel seems to have recovered just fine, hopefully I will soon. In the meantime, I have called the apartment complex about getting the keys to unlock the bedroom and bathroom doors...just in anticipation.

Elmo Addiction

Samuel has developed his first addiction...Elmo! He loves Elmo and Cookie Monster. Each morning, we hear him moving in his bed followed quickly by hearing "dada." Once we go in to get him the first question he has is "Elmo?" He then proceeds to ask for Elmo until we either find Sesame Street or put on his Elmo video.

He is not only addicted to the "live" Elmo on TV, but loves Elmo in books, on the computer or any stuffed Elmo or puppet. Elmo is the only thing he will sit still for. It is amazing that he will sit or lay (as seen in the picture) in front of the TV for a good 20 minutes watching Elmo, even if he has seen it 20 times!

If I ever find the person who invented Elmo, I don't know if I will hug them or hit them. It is a love/hate relationship for me. I love that Elmo gives be a short break in my day, but I hate that he asks for Elmo instead of mama!

Go Bears!

Thanks to Aunt Kate, Uncle Dave and cousin Addison, Samuel now has his first Bears jersey. He wore it proudly this morning as we were waiting to see if the Bears would be on.

Although they are 7-0, I guess Kansas City and St. Louis is a better game to watch if you live on the west coast. Stupid people! Oh well, we will be cheering the Bears on anyway.

By the way, Samuel does say "Go Bears" which sounds a lot like "Go Dars." We will keep practicing. He is also working on his touchdown dance! He also is learning that a cow says "moo", a sheep says "baa" and a bear says "touchdown!"

Oh what fun it is to influence such a little mind!

Ouch!

This week Samuel has tested his resilience. We always have known that he is pure boy, but this week proved just how tough he is. I guess he has mom's high pain tolerance.

On Wednesday, we were over at the apartment doing our check-in. We had taken one of our lamps since it was already dark and most of the rooms only have outlets not overhead lights. We had plugged the lamp in the office and were checking around when all of a sudden we heard Samuel scream and start to cry. The cry that was defiantly pain. By the time we got to him he was flapping his hands saying "hot, hot, hot." We immediately knew he had touched the light bulb. We instantly held his hands under cold water and reassured him that it would be ok. While at the same time I was freaking out (silently of course) not knowing what hand it was, if it was his whole hand, if it was both hands, how long he had held on....

Anyway after about 10 minutes, lots of cold water, a few graham crackers and lots of love he calmed down and seemed to go about playing as if nothing had happened. His hands looked fine and we guessed that all was ok. Later the next day Samuel came over to me and said hot while holding out his hand. This is what I saw on his finger.
I guess he answered the question of what hand and how bad. Although it looks horrible, he seems to be fine. Playing just as much as always and never seeming to be phased by it. On the other hand he does now know the light is hot and keeps his distance from it!

So, the week doesn't end there. Yesterday Mike, Jon and David painted our new apartment. When they were finished I had made a pot of chili and we had our first meal in the new place. After everyone had left and I was cleaning up, I was putting the dishes in the dishwasher when Samuel came running around the corner, tripped and fell face first into the door of the dishwasher. At the time we knew he had hit somewhere by his eye, but not sure exactly where. This injury instantly showed up. It started swelling and bruising. We applied a cold napkin and checked his vision. As always, after about 10 minutes he was off and playing as if nothing had happened.
This is a peek at the eye this morning. It is actually a lot better than I thought it would be. I thought for sure we would have our first black eye. I guess Samuel officially takes after his father then it comes to being injured as a kid. Since we can't have him live in a cushioned bubble I am glad he is tough!

A Day Full of Fun

We had a great Halloween. Here are a few pictures, they tell the story well...

We started the day with a trip to the zoo. Samuel and Jase loved the animals and thought they were so cute in their costumes! I guess they were right!

Here Samuel is watching and listening to the monkeys. They were really loud. I don't think he liked them. Just a guess though!

After a nice long nap, we got dressed and waited for our trick or treat friends to arrive. Samuel loved passing out candy to everyone. When he actually went out to get candy for himself (or for Mike and I) he would take a piece from the bowl and would try to put it in all his friends baskets.
Here is the whole gang! From left to right: Koen (Dr. Seuss), Jocie (cow), Roxy (angel), Matia (crocodile), Samuel (chicken)!

We made use of his Easter basket again! He loved it. Let's go mom!

Here he is at his first house!

Here I am with my favorite chicken.

Even a chicken has to sleep! All tuckered out!

Happy Halloween, Mr. Chicken!

Here he is...the much anticipated...eagily awaited...Mr. Chicken!

That's right, Samuel is a chicken for Halloween this year. He is very excited about it too. When we were in Old Navy he saw the costume and went bonkers. He started reaching for it and signing please. Since that is what we went in for, we got it. When we first tried it on him he looked at his arms and stomach and looked at me like something was definaty wrong. He then got a glimpse in the mirror, threw his head back and laughed. It was great. I'm glad he thinks he is as funny as mom does.

Tonight will be the big premier of Mr. Chicken to all his friends. He will be going trick or treating then to a Harvest Party. I am sure we will take plenty of pictures and will be sure to post them soon! Have a great Halloween!

Loving Books

I guess it is a given when you have teachers for parents...but Samuel loves books. He has always enjoyed looking at books and even having them read to him. He will often times now sit for a good 10-20 minutes while you read the same 3 or 4 books over and over. He is even anticipating what is coming up and will say it long before we are even able to turn the page.

As most kids, he does have his select favorites that are well loved. He carries them throughout the house and even chews on them every so often. He has loved a few so much that they have had to be replaced!

Here is his latest, cute trick. He will take a book over to the table, climb up and read. It is very cute, but then is usually followed by him climbing onto the table, not so cute!

Last week, Samuel found daddy's New Testament book on the floor and started to flip through it. He found it very funny and would turn a page then laugh (the good belly laugh kind). He did this for about five minutes. Too bad, Mike doesn't find that book funny or all that interesting!

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Corn Maze

On Friday afternoon, Samuel and I joined daddy's class for a visit to Bob's Corn Maze. As always, Samuel had a ton of fun running around outside. He loved the pumpkin patch and running through the corn maze.

Here he is off the path. He found it very funny to run into the corn and to be chased by mom and dad.

One of his new words is tractor. He was very excited to see this one that was his size. He ran right over and climbed on. He then thought that he could ride the big one!

More Michigan Pictures

Here are a few more of the pictures from our trip to Michigan.

Samuel has become a pro at riding on the airplane. This is the first trip we bought him his own seat and it made a ton of difference. He was able to nap, read his books and play all without driving mom crazy!
At the end of the trip we made our way down to Chicago to stop in and see Aunt Kate, Uncle Dave and Addison. As always, Addison and Samuel loved playing together. Here we are trying to get a picture with both kids and Gram. This was right before Samuel attacked Addison to get her donut. He is his father's son!

We were also able to visit Grandma Doris, Grandpa Vern and Aunt Karen. Here is Samuel with Grandma and Grandpa, quite the ham!

Jon's Birthday Party

Since I didn't have a chance to post these before we left for Michigan, I figured I would do it now. The Saturday before Samuel and I left for Michigan we celebrated our good friend, Jon's 28th birthday. As tradition has it, he always gets a fall themed birthday party complete with apple bobbing. For the past three years, crazy men have decided that sticking their head in a freezing cold bucket of water to pull out as many apples as they can in one minute is a good idea. These year was no different...

All the names went in a hat and one at a time they each took their turn. I think it is luckier if you get to go first. After 10+ men stick their heads in the same bucket of water going after the same apples the water is a bit gross and the apples are a bit beat up and torn apart.

Mike was able to go somewhere in the middle . He learned a bit from last year and this year came prepared with his goggles. I guess they helped because he held the lead after his turn. He was quickly passed by though and ended up finishing fourth. I guess there is always next year!

Being "all boy" that he is, Samuel wanted to join the fun also. Instead of allowing him to go in head first, which I do believe he would have loved to try, he got his turn with daddy's help. He loved it and wanted more!

Bath Time

Samuel looks forward to his bath time each night. He loves splashing around, dumping water over his head and face, chasing Elmo around the tub and most recently playing with the bubbles.

Here is his first ever "Santa Look Alike" picture!


As you can also tell he has become quite a ham in front of the camera. We are starting to get the big "cheese" and the fake smile that takes up half of his face. Oh well, it's cute!

Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday Samuel went on his first visit to a pumpkin patch. Mosaic had our October event at Carleton Farms up near Everett, WA. They had a hay ride, a corn maze, a pick your own pumpkin patch and farm animals to visit. Samuel had a great time.

Samuel loved sticking his face into the animals and peeking at mom. Little did he know how cute of a horse he could be!

Samuel loved running through the corn maze. He was so dirty by the time we finished. Pure boy!

Here Samuel is picking his own pumpkin. Samuel was able to pick out a big one for himself and a little one for Hannah.

Samuel wasn't so sure about the animals. They were great at a distance, but when they moved quickly or tried to "get" him he backed away pretty quickly.

Samuel and Roxy posing for the camera!

SNOW!

Samuel didn't know what to think. As for the rest of us we were not pleased!

Dancing Machine

Here is the little man keeping the party going!

Angie and Caleb's Wedding

As most of you know, we spent last weekend celebrating the marriage of Aunt Angie and Uncle Caleb. It was a great trip home complete with snow!

The wedding was beautiful and went perfectly. Here are a few pictures, more will be available at Shutterfly soon.

Here is the bridal party on Angie's side. (starting on left: Maddy, Tara, Michael, Jenn, Denise, Angie).

Daddy and Samuel enjoying the bubbles! Samuel actually made it down the aisle with a little help from daddy.

Mommy and Samuel partying the night away!

Samuel and Jase

Here are a few pictures of Samuel and Jase. Jase is the little boy that I am nannying for on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays! He and Samuel love spending their days together. They play really well and keep each other busy! Today we were able to go and play out on the deck. There is a sand box, a swing set and cars to push and ride in!

Indoor their favorite activities are playing chase, banging on the piano and racing cars in the window track. We also love to climb up and down the stairs over and over. Thankfully they both have great balance.

Back at it!

Well, our new camera is here! I guess I now have to get back on the blog regularly and keep everyone updated.

Samuel is continuing to amaze us. When we pulled up these pictures today we were amazed that he doesn't look like a baby anymore. He is a little boy! I don't know if mom is really ready for that yet! He is increasing his vocabulary daily. His most recent words are truck, buba (what he calls Bailey), cracker, no (a bit too soon for my liking), and Titi (what he calls Matia).


He is also into climbing on everything. He loves fruit and knows where the fruit bowl is so you can guess where I often find him! He has also learned how to come down stairs and surprisingly has a bit of fear in doing so. He is really careful and cautious of steps now. He didn't even have to fall to learn that one.

Mike has a tough week this week. Five days of teaching, four grad classes and three papers. So far three days of teaching are finished, three grad classes are done and one paper to go! I guess he will make it.

As for me, I am spending this week getting to know Jase (the little boy I nanny for). We have gone to a playgroup and a story hour at the library. He is a sweetheart and is very well behaved. It gives me hope into how Samuel may act in a year!


That's it for now!

Just another Wednesday...

Well, since we lost the camera we have not been taking any new pictures. This is a picture of Samuel and his friend Koen at the Fall Retreat. They were making crowns. Samuel was much more into eating the stickers and tasting the markers, but did actually end up with a crown when it was all said and done.

Samuel has been into drawing lately. Whenever he can get his hands on a pen, pencil or marker he starts looking for places to write. So far we have been able to catch him and get some paper. I am just waiting for the day when he finds the wall before I find him.

Well, if you haven't heard...I have a job! Yes, it was willingly sought and accepted. I actually have been trying to figure out if I want to do something more, but do not want to spend time away from Samuel, so I started looking into nanny positions. I was pretty selective on who I responded to since I felt that I wanted to use some of my teacher skills if possible. Last week I came across a part time position for a two year old boy with a bilateral hearing loss. I responded and was offered an interview right away. Long story short, I got the job. I will be watching Jase on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8-3. This works out wonderfully with Mike's teaching schedule. Additionally, I am taking some sign language classes! I had my first one last Monday and loved it. I am really excited to see how this all turns out.

I start with Jase next Tuesday. Ironically, the boys are exactly a year apart. Samuel and Jase have met twice and have gotten along great. I am excited for Samuel to have another little boy to play with consistently. We have also been given the opportunity to go to a play group on Monday mornings. Samuel would be considered a typical language peer within the group. I am really excited about all these changes.

Oh...by the way...I will be getting paid to have fun!

Ahhhhhhh!

This is Samuel's frustration over losing the camera! Yes, that's right, we lost the camera. Actually, I lost the camera. Last we saw it, it was in the bottom basket of the stroller on Sunday morning.

Sunday morning we were meeting Jon and Annie for coffee and took Samuel in the stroller. I remember seeing it in the basket underneath and since we didn't use it... Anyway, our best guess is that when the stroller was folded up and put in the car it fell out. We realized it was missing at our next stop which was the Fremont market and Oktoberfest. We searched the car and all our bags, but it was no where to be found. We then drove back to where we were that morning and looked around where we parked and asked all the retail shops on that side of the street. No camera.

I guess this means it is time to get a new one since we can't go without a camera as our little dude continues to explore. We knew we were going to need one soon since ours had started to malfunction. Occasionally the lens wouldn't open completely and you had to wait forever in between taking pictures. We were hoping it would make it till Christmas though. Oh well. I guess life happens! Best Buy here we come!